5 Must-Have Apps That Will Change The Way You Trek
2. Merlin Bird ID
The second app you must have — especially if you’re a birder — is Merlin Bird ID. This is an app we've come to love over the past six or seven months. It’s a bird identification app that’s surprisingly accurate in the results it gives.
How does it work? There are three ways:
- Audio ID: If you hear a bird call but can’t see the bird, just record the sound. The app identifies the bird based on its call — a brilliant feature.
- Step-by-step ID: If you’ve seen the bird but couldn’t photograph it or hear it, you can use clues like size, beak colour, tail length, and behaviour to identify it step by step.
- Photo ID: If you’ve taken a picture of the bird, upload it and the app will identify it.
What’s great is that the app has bird packs for specific regions of the world. If you're trekking in India, just download the India bird pack. It then limits its search to birds found in this region, which makes the data far more accurate than general tools like Google Lens.
It works offline (once you’ve downloaded the bird pack), and it’s completely free.
- Available on: Android and iOS
- Offline functionality: Yes (after downloading regional bird packs)
- Pricing: Free basic version
- Recommended sister app: eBird check listing app
